All answers were supplied by designer Robert Carlsen. Note from the publisher about his site.

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What if, due to taxes, a player is forced to sell shares such that he is stuck somewhere in the middle of the board unable to move?

Answer:

Gandy Dancer Dispatch has established new rule, 12.4, regarding being stranded on the Interior after a forced stock auction. The rule is that the player may exit via any route as at the start of the game.

Suppose someone owns 6 shares of Northern Pacific. Is that person allowed to spend $0 and move 6 spaces over NP heralds for free? What if they have only 3 shares? Could they spend nothing and move 3 for free?

Answer:

Yes. Rule 9.5.2.1 allows a player to move one space for each NP share owned. If he owns six shares, he may move 6 spaces. He doesn't have to combine it with any other form of movement. If he owns 3 shares, he may move 3 spaces.

(a) Say someone lands on a Buy/Sell Group 1 Stock space. The rules say they may not buy more than 2 shares from 2 companies, but can they buy and sell on the same turn?
(b) Say they want to buy 2 shares of one Group 1 company and sell 2 shares of another? Would this be allowed?
(c) Could they buy 4 shares in 2 companies and sell 4 in 2 other companies all in one turn?

Answer:

(a) No. A player may not buy and sell on the same turn. Rule 6.0 states: "A player may buy OR sell"; it does not state "A player may buy AND sell."
(b) No. A player may not buy 2 shares of one Group 1 company and sell 2 shares of another.
(c) No. A player may not buy 4 shares in 2 companies and sell 4 in 2 other companies all in one turn. It is Buy or Sell, but not both.

If multiple players must engage in Forced Sales due to not having enough to pay taxes, what is the order in which these shares are sold?

Answer:

If multiple players must engage in Forced Sales (auctions) due to not having enough to pay taxes this occurs:
Rule 12.3.4 & 12.3.5: The player who triggered the situation (the player who caused the year to expire), must settle his account first. Proceed clockwise around the table.
Rule 5.9: The player must auction starting with his most valuable stock. He auctions stock according to value until enough money is raised to pay his taxes. Normally, this will only involve auctioning off one line.
Rule 5.9.2: Each share is auctioned individually, but all shares in the RR must be auctioned off.

If a player is in a Forced Sale due to taxes, but now actually has enough to to pay taxes, but still is required to sell more shares, can he bid on his own share which is up for auction.

Answer:

No. A player may not bid on his own shares that are up for auction.

About buying stock, the rules say "A maximum of 2 shares in any 2 Short Lines (for a total of 4 shares in the same group) may be purchased at any one time." I'm not sure if this rule is a one-time limitation or a game-long limitation. Suppose I buy 4 shares in Group 1 companies? If I sell no shares, may I in a subsequent turn buy more shares in Group 1 companies?

Answer:

The rule applies only for that turn that you are on the buy/sell rectangle. You may, in a subsequent turn, buy more shares in Group 1 when you land on the appropriate rectangle.

About the bonus buys in Wenatchee and Colville, do I need to make the run so as to end up in one of these towns to get the bonus, or if I start in one of them and make the run going the other direction do I still get the bonus?

Answer:

You need to make the run so as to end up in either Wenatchee or Colville. Starting in these towns and going the other direction does not qualify you for the bonus buy.

By the way, must runs be completed strictly in the order listed or may they be completed in backwards order? Seems like the former is true to me, but some of our players thought otherwise.

Answer:

Turns must be completed strictly in the order as assigned on the Dispatch Card. Reverse order is not allowed.

We're not quite sure how to re-deal the movement cards. When someone lands on a shuffle, do we pick up all played and unplayed cards and simply deal them all out evenly? Or do we deal them out as in the beginning of the game, making sure that everyone gets 1 "1", 1 "2", 1 "3", etc. and then dealing out the overage? Or yet something else?

Answer:

When you redeal Movement Cards, collect all 36 cards (including those in players hands) shuffle, and redeal them randomly. It is only at the start of the game that each player is guaranteed one card of each type.

We take it that when moving by die roll it is not allowed to supplement movement by cash, but it is allowed by supplement with NP shares. Is this correct?

Answer:

Correct. Only NP movment may be used to supplement one other form of Movement. Cash and Die Roll movement may not be combined. (Rule 9.5.3)

We found it useful to add two more markers to the game of the same colors as the provided pawns. The first marker is placed in front of the player to show what color he is. The second is placed on the dispatch card on which he is currently working so that this is clear. Seems to help, especially in a six-player game. You may want to consider this for future editions and other games.

Answer:

Thanks for the tip.

Is the auction for order of play conducted before or after the initial dispatch cards are revealed? I assume after.

Answer:

After. That way players have the opportunity to formulate a initial strategy. If a player absolutely must be the first to land on the Milwaukee Road "Buy/Sell" rectangle, for example, he'll be willing to bid more for it.

Does selling stock cause the price to tumble $5 per block or $5 per share sold?

Answer:

$5 per share sold. This is how you hurt your opponents. When Great Northern is at $95 and you sell six shares, you get to bask in the groans and cursing of your opponents who have the other four. And as we all know, this basking and groaning is one of the things that makes railgaming worthwhile.

When a card says "via " is it necessary to stop exactly in that city during the run?

Answer:

Yes.

I can't remember which card it is exactly, but there is one having a single "via Olympia" where it appears that either rail line can be used, i.e. which rail line to use is ambiguous. You may wish to double check this card and issue a clarification.

Answer:

It's not important. Either line may be used.

When using Northern Pacific Supplemental movement, what counts as a herald? noting that the rules state one must start the turn on such a herald in order to benefit from supplemental movement. The NP logo is printed on some cities around the outside edge of the map for example, do these count as heralds? The logo is also printed on some cities on the map interior. Do these count as heralds as well?

Answer:

Yes, the NP logo wherever it appears counts as a herald.

Suppose the price of Great Northern stock is currently at $95. A player delivers at Wenatchee which entitles him to purchase a share of GN. But also, this delivery causes the price of GN stock to increase to $100 and generates a stock split. The question is, which one of these events occurs first?

If the purchase happens first, then the player pays $95 for the share, then the price goes to $100, splits, giving the player $50 and ends at $50. The player has spent net $45 and holds a share worth $50.

If the price increase happens first, then it splits, the player buys at $50 and the price ends at $55. The player has spent net $50 and holds a share worth $55.

Answer:

The price increase and split occur first, followed by optional purchase.

What happens if Year End cards are drawn when setting up the game?

Answer:

Set such cards aside and continue to draw cards until the requisite number is reached. Then shuffle the Year End cards back into the deck.

The board is a little hazy in terms of movement on branching lines. For example, if I want to move along the Great Northern line from Wenatchee to Seattle, must I enter Everett, and leave on the branch, or can I skip Everett?

Answer:

Follow the track. You must go via Everett. The track goes in, and it comes out. It does not allow you to skip Everett.

When bankrupt short lines are "removed from the game" can you still own stock in them? I understand they are worthless, but I'm uncertain whether you still need to hold the stock in order to complete runs.

Answer:

Short Line shares are turned back in when the Short Line goes bankrupt. The shares are worthless. To travel on the bankrupt short line you simply need to pay a dollar per space. You don't need to possess a share.

1. I have four copies of the Bend to The Dalles dispatch card in my set (designated #56/2). Should the game only use 2 of these cards? Also, I don't see a reverse of this route (The Dalles to Bend) – is this correct?

2. I have twenty tax cards, but I noticed that there isn't a #63 tax card (my tax cards range from #62 to #72) and there isn't a "BEAR Market" (even though there is a "Bull Market") card – are these tax cards correct?

Answer:

You can tell if you have one of the first edition sets if your Short Line shares are printed in black and white rather than red.

In the initial issue, there were several misprints due to proofreading errors which were corrected in the second printing. These misprints don't affect the play of the game.

Card #34

On the left side of the herald, you'll see a small "33" which should not be there.

Card #56

There are four "The Dalles to Bend" Dispatch cards and none showing the return route. Two of the four should have been cards labelled "Bend to The Dalles".

Card #63

In the first edition deck there is no #63 tax card. (The first tax card should have been #63, and the "Bend to The Dalles" would have taken up the #62 spot. There should be twenty tax cards. Two are Bull Markets. There were never any Bear Markets put in the game. The misnumbering of the cards does not affect the way the game is played.)